VOA标准英语2014--Iran Nuclear Deal in Final Push

 

Iran Nuclear Deal in Final Push

LONDON— 

Iranian and international negotiators convene¹ in Vienna Tuesday for a final push to try to reach agreement on Iran’s nuclear program by the November 24 deadline.

The issues are largely the same as they have been for more than a year, and the implications of not reaching a deal are potentially as dire² as ever

Scenes like these from past rounds of talks will play out again in front of the television cameras. Then, the negotiators will close the doors to debate how many centrifuges Iran will retain capable of enriching uranium that can be used to build a nuclear weapon, what sort of inspections³ will be allowed, and how quickly economic sanctions will be lifted.

Jane Kinninmont, deputy head of the Middle East Program at London’s Chatham House, says "there is a great deal of seriousness on both sides to come up with some sort of deal.”

She says although seven nations are involved, it mainly comes down to the United States and Iran.

“There is an interest on the part of both presidents in making a deal, and the feeling that if this opportunity is missed, they won’t see a similar opportunity in their lifetime,” she said.

Still, China and Russia are also at the negotiating table. They have presented a solid front with U.S. and European negotiators, but Russia, in particular, has a somewhat different view of Iran than the others. And its policy is a concern for the West, especially in light of its new, more aggressive policy in Europe.

“Russia wants to have its alliance with Iran, but it doesn’t have a particular interest in seeing Iran really become a nuclear weapons power or become a much more independent actor,” said Kinninmont.

She says the deal Russia just signed with Iran to reprocess its used nuclear fuel could help pave the way for an agreement. But Anoush Ehteshami, director of the international program at Durham University says it also raises concerns.

“Is Russia unilaterally deriving⁴ deals that could provide Iran with ‘get out’ clauses outside of the negotiations⁵ that are happening with the P5+1? asked Ehteshami. "And for that, I don’t have an answer yet because this is still far too fresh.”

More important for the coming round of negotiations is whether the sides can bridge the remaining gaps and then convince skeptics in their own governments to accept their compromises. Professor Ehteshami says in spite of the sometimes harsh rhetoric⁶ coming out of Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani will be able to do that.

“The negotiating team has a mandate⁷ from the people. They have given President Rouhani the mandate to see through this difficult phase," said Ehteshami. "And his mandate was, his platform was, to end Iran’s isolation⁸ and to open it up to the world.  The only way Iran can do that is to bring closure to the nuclear crisis.”

The consequences of not doing that would be grave for Iran’s economy, hit by sanctions and low oil prices, and could potentially lead to military strikes on its nuclear facilities. That all adds to the urgency of reaching an agreement, but does not make it any easier.

1 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

2 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

3 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 deriving   

v.得到( derive的现在分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• I anticipate deriving much instruction from the lecture. 我期望从这演讲中获得很多教益。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He anticipated his deriving much instruction from the lecture. 他期望从这次演讲中得到很多教益。 来自辞典例句

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

7 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

8 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。